Electric conductor.



No. 650,972. Patented June 5, I900. L. HACKETHAL.

ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR.

(Application filed Dec.- 20, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS IIACKETIIAL, OF HANOVER, GERMANY.

ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 650,972, dated June 5,1900. Application filed D cember 20,1898. Serial No. 699,820. (Nomodel.)

To all tall/071?, it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS HACKETHAL, a

- subject of the King of Prussia, Emperor of dated November 19, 1808; inBelgium, dated November 19, 1898; in Italy, dated November 22, 1808; inDenmark, dated November 16, 1898, and in Germany, dated May 25, 1898,)of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce an electrical conductor havingan insulating coating which shall have the properties of resisting theinfluences of the weather and of avoiding short circuits or grounds.

To this object my invention consists in a conductor coated with afibrous material, preferably a textile fabric which has been soaked orsaturated with red oxid of lead and oil, preferably 1inseed-oil, anddried under the influence of the air.

Figure 1 shows across-section, and Fig. 2 a side elevation, of myconductor.

As a result of experiments extending over some years I have discoveredthat red oxid of lead of the better qualities contains but few metallicor non-oxidized particles. It possesses a high degree of purity and ahigh proportion of oxygen. By reason of its richness in oxygen the redlead forms an intimate chemical combination with the rubber-likeingredients of the oil, the resulting product having somewhat-gummyproperties. This process can be accelerated by heat. Neither the redlead nor the oil separately considered possess a very high degree ofinsulation. It is only when their combination by the action of the airapproaches its final form that the insulation qualities reach aconsiderable value. It is not possible to bring about this resultingcondition of the mixture of red oxid of lead and oil by coating barewires, because it will be necessary to have the wires hang freely in theair for too long a time. I have I therefore studied the action of amixture of red lead and oil in connection with fibrous material, whethertextile fabrics or paper, and have found that such mixture, by reason ofthe oily qualities which it has at the start, penetrates the pores ofthe fibrous material, fills them up, and becomes thick under the actionof the air. In order to accelerate the action, the superfluous quantityof the impregnating mixture is brushed off, and air is thus brought intomore direct contact with the coated fiber. After the fabric has beenimpregnated, but before the oxidation is complete, I can subject thecoating to pressure, and thereby increase the density and the insulationof the same. Although this process can be carried out at ordinarytemperatures, it is preferable to use heat. In this manner theimpregnated fibrous material loses its hygroscopic qualities and assumesin its fi nal form such strength that it is not influenced by moistureor such heat or cold as is found within the limits of atmospherictemperature. Describing this process of impregnation more in detail Imay say that I take fibrous material, preferably about a half-millimeterin thickness, wrap or spin the same about the wire, and then soak thewrapped wire in a fluid mixture composed of five parts, by weight, ofred lead and one part, by weight, of linseed-oil. The superfluouscoating is then removed, and the wire thus coated is subjected to theaction of air for a period of from three to five days. At this time thewire is passed through rollers of proper cross-section in order tocompress the coating, whereupon it is again subjected to the action ofair until the oxidation has been completed.

The drawings show the conducting-wire A and the fibrous or textilecovering B surrounding the same, which covering has been saturated withthe mixture described.

It is manifest that the process of wrapping, saturation, and drying maybe repeated, so that there will be several layers of saturated fibrousmaterial about the wire instead of a single layer.

hat I claim is- 1. An electrical conductor covered with a fibrousmaterial impregnated with a mixture of red lead and linseed-oil,substantially as of red lead and oil, substantially as described.described. I o 2. An electrical conductor covered with a In testimonywhereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two Witnesses.

fibrous material impregnated With a mixture 5 of five parts of red leadand one part of oil, LOUIS I-IACKETI'IAL.

substantially as described.

3. All electrical conductor covered With a fibrous material impregnatedwith a mixture WVitnesses:

KIRKE LATHROP, LEONORE KASCH.

